KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
Brian Cohen·
Fun
··3 min read

Good Ideas — or Hoaxes?

Recline alerts, snack masks, loud cars — and corncob crust pizzas?

Today is Saturday, April 1, 2023 — meaning that it is April Fools’ Day — and although jokes are not as popular overall as they were in the past due to unbelievable current events over the last few years that were actually real, some companies and organizations within the travel and dining industries still have released what could be considered either good ideas or hoaxes.

Good Ideas — or Hoaxes?

Without further ado, the hoaxes for 2023 are listed below in no particular order — along with links to their sources.

WestJet Airways Pilots Work From Home

Although WestJet Airways proclaims to not be joking around this year, an organization known as the WestJet Master Executive Council — which represents pilots of the airline as part of Air Line Pilots Association, International in Canada — released this video about pilots of the airline working from home.

April Fools’ Day videos from WestJet Airways always involved Richard Bartrem, who was the vice president of marketing for the airline until October of 2022. Note that the name of the person at the beginning of the video is Dick Bertram, which seems like a humorous homage to Richard Bartrem.

Recline Alert System Introduced by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Reclining a seat aboard an airplane has been a topic of controversy for years; so KLM Royal Dutch Airways found a solution: The Recline Alert System, which alerts fellow passengers as to when someone is reclining a seat.

This hoax could actually backfire for the airline, as it seems to admit that not enough space between seats is provided and that the economy class cabin itself is actually cramped aboard its airplanes…

Loud Car Introduced by Amtrak

Not using headphones in public seems to be a recent trend; and many frequent travelers oppose the use of mobile telephones while aboard airplanes or trains — so Amtrak introduced the Loud Car, in which “all phone calls must be on speaker, we do want to hear your mixtape, we all want to hear that GRWM you’re watching, everyone in the loud car wants to hear about your situationship, as a courtesy we will come around for the disposing of headphones.”

Now hear this…

Snack Mask Introduced by JetBlue Airways

If you dislike when food and beverages are offered by members of the flight crew while you are dozing off, JetBlue Airways has the solution for you: the JetBlue Airways Snack Mask.

Never miss another opportunity to eat or drink while aboard an airplane ever again.

Sun Loungers Introduced by Air Transit

As part of a partnership with Airbus, Air Transat is replacing its Club seats with sun loungers.

Just be careful not to burn while relaxing and stretching out, as you are closer to the sun while flying at 36,000 feet.

Virgin Australia Introduces Fly Cleaning

Why wait until you arrive at your destination to get the dry cleaning of your clothes done? Use this innovative service from Virgin Australia instead called Fly Cleaning — and as a bonus, you can have the flies buzzing around you cleaned, too. Get it? Fly cleaning?!?

Ahh — never mind…

See the Number of Passengers Aboard Airplanes With Flightradar24

Flightradar24 is a great tool to use when you want to know the specifics about a flight or how many flights are either delayed or canceled on a particular day by airline or location — so being able to see the number of passengers aboard an aircraft should be an enhancement. Bonus: you can also see the number of pets aboard each airplane as well — and by species, no less.

See also

Woof.

Corncob Crust Pizza Introduced by Little Caesars

Imagine satiating your hunger aboard an airplane by bringing aboard one of these bad boys: a Corncob Crust Pizza from Little Caesars — complete with two liters of liquefied butter. Members of the flight crew and your fellow passengers will thank you.

Yeah — right…

Emirates Sealine

If Emirates Airline — that name is without an s at the end; so it is not plural — is for air transportation, then it only stands to reason that Emirates Sealine is for travel along the seas. All aboard for this ultra-luxurious cruise liner, which sets sail for its maiden voyage to Karachi on Monday, April 1, 2024.

Perhaps the mascot for this venture should be a cat known as the Sealine Feline. Meow.

United Airlines Partners With Emirates Airline

Speaking of Emirates Airline, the partnership between United Airlines and Emirates Airline is actually real — but it might have been considered an April Fools’ Day joke back when they were adversaries.

Final Boarding Call

I hope you enjoyed this list of April Fools’ Day and that this article brightened your day.

Please feel free to list other hoaxes — along with links — in the Comments section below.

Photograph ©2017 by Brian Cohen.

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